Man indicted for murder in death of wife on Alaskan cruise

JUNEAU, Alaska -- A Utah man accused of killing his wife on a cruise to Alaska has been indicted on a murder count.

Kenneth Manzanares was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in the death of Kristy Manzanares. The indictment was made public Thursday.

Kristy Manzanares was found dead in a blood-splattered cabin last month on Princess Cruises ship that was diverted to Alaska's capital city for the investigation. Federal authorities have led the investigation because the death occurred in U.S. waters.

In a previously filed affidavit, FBI Special Agent Michael Watson said witnesses saw Kenneth Manzanares with blood on his hands and clothing.

According to the affidavit from July, Manzanares told witnesses his wife "would not stop laughing at me."

An arraignment date was not yet set.

F. Richard Curtner, an attorney for Kenneth Manzanares, said he had no immediate comment on the case.

The cruise ship, the Emerald Princess, spans the length of nearly three football fields and has 19 decks. Passenger Chris Ceman told CBS News' Jamie Yuccas in July that he was on the ninth level in a room across from where it happened.

"One of the little girls from that room came running out, calling for help, that her parents had been in a fight. She sounded pretty desperate, but the crew came up as quickly as they could," Ceman said.

Passengers said that a "murder mystery" theme dinner was taking place when the situation started to unfold. Some thought it was a hoax at first, but after the initial confusion they realized the severity of the situation.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.